“Oyster Offering All-You-Can-Read eBooks for $9.95/Month” In other words, a subscription service like Netflix, for ebooks. At least two major publishers have already signed on, HarperCollins and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Unfortunately, it only works on the iPhone. (Sovan Mandal, Good E Reader)

“71 % of Travelers Prefer Print Books Over e-books”.I don’t quite get that. I much prefer print books at home (except when I’m knitting — ebooks stay open!), but I can’t fit 600+ books in my luggage when I travel — and I don’t always know what I’ll be in the mood to read. Besides, I need the space for yarn. (Michael Kozlowski, Good E Reader)

“The Rockstar of Rare Books Goes On Tour”. A rare copy of the Bay Psalm Book, the first book printed in the U.S. (in 1640!) went on tour this week prior to its auction by Sotheby’s. It’s expected to fetch between $15 and $30 million. (Abe Books)

Worth Reading:

“It’s the Reader, Stupid”Hugh Howey points out the problems caused when publishers and large chains think of each other as customers, and why indie bookstores, indie authors, and Amazon are doing well by focusing on what the reader wants. (on his website/blog)

Just for fun:

Bookish Quotes:

That’s it for this week!

I’m always on the lookout for interesting articles, lists, and links for News & Notes, so please let me know if you see (or write!) anything that might be good for this feature. You can leave me a comment or send me an email — my address is on the About/Review Policy/Contact page.

12 Responses to “News & Notes – 8/14/13”

I love this feature on your blog! Isn’t it awesome that they’re making a film in the world of Harry Potter? I hope they get the same people who made the film series to work on it because they’ve got some awesome special effects people. I love the video about Shakespeare too, it’s really interesting 🙂– Kimberly @ Turning the Pages

The news about the travelers surprised me; I expected the percentage for print books to be lower. A digital reader is so convenient and offers so much variety and takes up less space. Ah well, at least they are reading. The article about pleasure reading boosting school performance was no surprise to me. Any teacher knows that’s a no-brainer; it’s painfully obvious.

Thank you, Bea! Yes, that surprised me, too. I really thought traveling was where people who are ambivalent about ebooks, or who read both ebooks and print, would come down on the ebooks side, for exactly the reasons you state.

And yes, the link between pleasure reading and school performance seems so obvious, yet many parents seem unaware of it.

Some good links as always… I especially liked the TOR article by Julie Crisp. I too miss browsing bookstores (especially used bookstores) amd finding a surprise. As much as I love blogging and getting the advanve word on new books, nothing compares to discovering a keeper in a shop. And I miss used bookstores too, there just aren’t as many anymore.

Triggered sounds in eBooks? Like when you get to a page or sentence or by choosing to do something? I gotta tell ya, noises scare me like when I visit a blog and music starts..we are talking Heart-a-tack!!!! Awesome informative post as always Lark! Keep up coming 🙂

That’s the idea… when you read a scene set next to the ocean, you would hear waves, and so on. It could be startling, until you got used to it. I’m not sure I like the idea; I like ‘hearing’ the sounds in my head.

Lots of great links to explore! I also don’t understand a traveler who would rather take a print book instead of an e-reader. I don’t always know what I plan to read either. The bingo game looks interesting. I don’t like the idea of sounds when I’m reading an e-book. I don’t need or want it.

Also did you know a new Foyle’s War series begins tonight on Masterpiece Mystery on PBS? I can’t wait!

Ooh, I wish I could watch Foyle’s War tonight, but I’ll have to wait until PBS streams it or it shows up on Netflix. We gave up cable last spring. (We hardly ever watched anything but PBS anyway; we were watching DVDs and Netflix streaming, when we watched stuff at all.)

I’m with you on the sounds; I don’t think I’d like that. I don’t even listen to music when I read; I prefer to be immersed in the story.